Karnataka recorded a voter turnout of 60.97 percent at 6 pm. The constituency-wise breakdown of turnout is as follows:

Chikkodi 69.43%

Belgaum 58.72%

Bagalkot 65.77%

Bijapur 60.28%

Gulbarga 53.74%

Raichur 51.75%

Bidar 56.90%

Koppal 63.43%

Bellary 63.40%

Haveri 63.22%

Dharwad 64.89%

Uttara Kannada 69.38%

Davanagere 66.70%

Shimoga 68.65%

18:53 (IST)

Kerala election voting latest updates

Kerala witnesses 69.21% turnout at 6 pm

Kerala recorded a voter turnout of 69.21 percent at 6 pm. The constituency-wise breakdown of turnout is as follows:

Kasaragod 70.73%

Kannur 73.97%

Vadakara 69.17%

Wayanad 72.47%

Kozhikode 68.83%

Malappuram 69.35%

Ponnani 63.65%

Palakkad 71.71%

Alathur 67.84%

Thrissur 70.97%

Chalakudy 70.89%

Ernakulam 68.32%

Idukki 69.82%

Kottayam 69.08%

Alappuzha 70.63%

Mavelikkara 68.23%

Pathanamthitta 67.25%

Kollam 69.49%

Attingal 69.38%

Thiruvananthapuram 68.73%

18:29 (IST)

Southern states of Karnataka, Kerala see steady rise of voter turnout through the day

Even though the pace of polling was dull early in the morning, enthusiasm for Phase 3 grew through the day.

6 pm voter turnout:

18:15 (IST)

Kerala election voting latest updates

State records voter turnout of 69.21 percent at 6 pm.

18:15 (IST)

Karnataka election voting latest updates

State records voter turnout of 60.97 percent at 6 pm.

18:03 (IST)

Kerala election voting latest updates

Malayalam film actor Mammootty arrives to cast his vote at a polling station in Kochi.

PTI

17:40 (IST)

Kerala election voting latest updates

Kerala Governor castes his vote at Thiruvananthapuram

Kerala Governor P Sathasivam and his wife show their inked marked finger after casting their votes at a polling station in Thiruvananthapuram.

PTI

17:34 (IST)

Kerala election voting latest updates

Kerala witnesses 58.56% turnout at 5 pm

Kerala recorded a voter turnout of 58.56 percent at 5 pm. The constituency-wise breakdown of turnout is as follows:

Kasaragod 65.66%

Kannur 72.55%

Vadakara 60.88%

Wayanad 72.07%

Kozhikode 58.72%

Malappuram 66.93%

Ponnani 62.92%

Palakkad 59.54%

Alathur 65.61%

Thrissur 69.02%

Chalakudy 67.50%

Ernakulam 63.83%

Idukki 65.80%

Kottayam 67.04%

Alappuzha 68.91%

Mavelikkara 61.19%

Pathanamthitta 67.16%

Kollam 58.36%

Attingal 64.62%

Thiruvananthapuram 67.24%

17:31 (IST)

Karnataka election voting latest updates

Karnataka witnesses 54.49% turnout at 5 pm

Karnataka recorded a voter turnout of 54.49 percent at 5 pm. The constituency-wise breakdown of turnout is as follows:

Chikkodi 62.91%

Belgaum 58.70%

Bagalkot 63.78%

Bijapur 53.85%

Gulbarga 52.18%

Raichur 51.75%

Bidar 56.90%

Koppal 60.66%

Bellary 61.67%

Haveri 63.22%

Dharwad 61.34%

Uttara Kannada 65.58%

Davanagere 65.98%

Shimoga 66.33%

17:16 (IST)

Kerala election voting latest updates

State records voter turnout of 58.56 percent at 5 pm.

17:16 (IST)

Karnataka election voting latest updates

State records voter turnout of 54.49 percent at 5 pm.

16:58 (IST)

Kerala election voting latest updates

Shashi Tharoor personally inspects some polling booths

In another tweet, he wrote, "Doing the rounds of polling booths across Thiruvananthapuram to ensure voting passes peacefully. So far, no untoward incidents have been reported, save some complaints against EVMs and resultant delays. Seeing robust polling across rural constituencies, which is an encouraging sign!"

Congress leaders have attributed the high voter turnout despite several odds to a Rahul Gandhi wave sweeping Kerala. Senior leaders like AK Antony, Ooommen Chandy, Ramesh Chennithala and Mullappally Ramachandran claimed that the wave will help the party to win all the 20 seats in the state.

The Rahul effect was more palpable in several northern and central constituencies, where people turned up in large numbers to cast their vote from early morning. Wayanad, where the Gandhi scion is contesting the election, is heading for a record turnout with as many as 60 percent voters casting their votes till 3 pm. The polling percentage in Wayanad in 2009 and 2014 was 73.25 percent and 74.6 percent respectively. The current trend shows that turnout will cross the previous figures. Polling has also been above 60 percent in Kannur, Idukki, Chalakkudy, Kottayam and Pathanamthittta.

16:20 (IST)

Karnataka election voting latest updates

Transgenders and specially-abled voters came out to vote in large numbers. The constituencies going to vote on Tuesday also have 5.41 lakh first-time voters.

A case has been registered against a voter in Thiruvananthapuram constituency after his complaint that the vote he cast for his candidate was credited to another was found wrong. The Medical College Police registered a case against Ebin after his complaint was found false in a test voting at the Central school polling booth in the city.

The action has been initiated against Ebin on the basis of the Election Commission direction to refer false complaints to the police. As per the direction, the onus of proving the complaint is with the complainant.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has criticised the direction saying that the issue a voter may face could rise due to technical issues and it was not for an ordinary person to prove it.

14:47 (IST)

Karnataka ​election voting latest updates

Cops on alert after Congress, BJP supporters clash in Chikkodi town

Tight security has been deployed at 16th and 17th booths in Indira Nagar Gate of Chikkodi town. The fight allegedly began verbally between Congress and BJP workers on the issue of convincing voters to choose their party and went on to escalate.

Chikkodi ASP Mithun Kumar rushed the spot and tried to get control on situation.

Polling at one booth in Vadakara constituency has been extended up to 11 pm. The extra five hours has been given to voters under the Kollam Puliyancherry booth in the Quilandy segment as voting was held up there until 12.25 pm due to malfunctioning EVM machines. Voting was also delayed in several other booths in the constituency due to snags in EVMs.

14:22 (IST)

Southern states of Karnataka, Kerala see steady rise of voter turnout through the day

Even though the pace of polling was dull early in the morning, enthusiasm for Phase 3 grew through the day.

14:18 (IST)

Kerala election voting latest updates

Snake inside VVPAT machine holds up polling in Kannur

An unusual "visitor" in a polling booth in the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency, held up voting for a brief while Tuesday. A small snake was found inside a VVPAT machine in a booth at Mayyil Kandakkai in the constitutency, which is witnessing heavy polling, triggering panic among officials and voters. However, the reptile was soon removed and voting continued.

PTI

14:15 (IST)

Karnataka ​election voting latest updates

State sees 36.74% voter turnout at 2 pm

Karnataka recorded a voter turnout of 36.74 percent at 2 pm. The constituency-wise breakdown of turnout is as follows:

Chikkodi 41.05%

Belgaum 35.11%

Bagalkot 38.33%

Bijapur 33.14%

Gulbarga 30.48%

Raichur 35.68%

Bidar 33.57%

Koppal 39.82%

Bellary 40.37%

Haveri 32.79%

Dharwad 36.15%

Uttara Kannada 39.87%

Davanagere 38.30%

Shimoga 41.69%

14:13 (IST)

Kerala ​election voting latest updates

State sees 40% voter turnout at 2 pm

Kerala recorded a voter turnout of 40 percent at 2 pm. The constituency-wise breakdown of turnout is as follows:

Kasaragod 42.22%

Kannur 45.25%

Vadakara 36.08%

Wayanad 43.70%

Kozhikode 28.24%

Malappuram 39.20%

Ponnani 35.75%

Palakkad 44.90%

Alathur 39.17%

Thrissur 43.00%

Chalakudy 39.88%

Ernakulam 37.97%

Idukki 43.66%

Kottayam 42.96%

Alappuzha 40.02%

Mavelikkara 41.21%

Pathanamthitta 38.46%

Kollam 34.56%

Attingal 41.53%

Thiruvananthapuram 42.67%

14:09 (IST)

Davanagere election voting latest updates

Congress candidate casts vote with wife

HB Manjappa, Congress candidate for Davanagere Lok Sabha seat, cast his vote along with his wife Lakshmi at the Honnali town booth.

Input by AS Kamalakshi, 101Reporters

13:45 (IST)

Kerala ​election voting latest updates

Tharoor says he is 'concerned' about missing voters' names

Shashi Tharoor, who has been tweeting since he voted on Tuesday morning, wrote that he is "concerned to hear first-hand accounts of people missing from the voters list in Thiruvananthapuram despite having voted in previous elections."

The MP also tweeted out his information to those who had found themselves missing from the list, promising to take up their case with the Election Commission.

Concerned to hear first-hand accounts of people missing from the voters list in Thiruvananthapuram despite having voted in previous elections. An efficient and fair election is fundamental to our efforts in ensuring that the voice of all citizens is heard. (1/2)

RV Deshpande, current revenue minister in the Karnataka cabinet, voted in Haliyal of the Uttara Kannada constituency with his family. Speaking to the media, he said that JD(S) candidate Anand Asnotikar "will win" in the constituency

Input by Deepak Kumar Shenvi, 101Reporters

13:32 (IST)

Karnataka ​election voting latest updates

Legislative Assembly ex-chairman casts vote

The ex-chairman of Karnataka Legislative Assembly DH Shankaramurthy cast his vote along with wife Sathvathi and family members at booth number 69 at Basavagudi in Shimoga.

Input by AS Kamalakshi, 101Reporters

13:28 (IST)

Karnataka ​election voting latest updates

Dharwad MP Pralhad Joshi arrives to vote

Dharwad MP and BJP leader Pralhad Joshi arrived to vote at a school for the hearing impaired, with his family. Joshi has been the sitting MP of the Karnataka constituency since 2009.

In Belgaum, Congress MLA Ramesh Jarakiholi cast his vote and said immediately afterwards that he will resign from the party. He said he was unhappy with the leadership but did not make it clear when he would quit. Jarakiholi voted at Gokak.

Input by Akhil, 101Reporters

13:14 (IST)

Kerala ​election voting latest updates

State sees 28.78% voter turnout at 1 pm

Kerala recorded a voter turnout of 28.78 percent at 1 pm. The constituency-wise breakdown of turnout is as follows:

Kasaragod 26.15%

Kannur 30.37%

Vadakara 25.91%

Wayanad 33.26%

Kozhikode 23.03%

Malappuram 25.00%

Ponnani 30.19%

Palakkad 33.28%

Alathur 28.63%

Thrissur 34.30%

Chalakudy 28.03%

Ernakulam 28.82%

Idukki 31.80%

Kottayam 27.22%

Alappuzha 32.93%

Mavelikkara 30.36%

Pathanamthitta 34.39%

Kollam 28.67%

Attingal 35.49%

Thiruvananthapuram 34.83%

13:12 (IST)

Karnataka ​election voting latest updates

State sees 22.77% voter turnout at 1 pm

Karnataka recorded a voter turnout of 22.77 percent at 1 pm. The constituency-wise breakdown of turnout is as follows:

Chikkodi 26.20%

Belgaum 21.93%

Bagalkot 30.04%

Bijapur 18.99%

Gulbarga 18.69%

Raichur 20.04%

Bidar 22.85%

Koppal 21.80%

Bellary 23.66%

Haveri 19.50%

Dharwad 24.90%

Uttara Kannada 29.74%

Davanagere 26.19%

Shimoga 24.78%

13:08 (IST)

Wayanad ​election voting latest updates

NDA candidate takes offence to Rahul's tweet

Thushar Vellappally, the NDA's candidate from Wayanad, has said that Congress president Rahul Gandhi violated the Model Code of Conduct with this Tuesday morning tweet, asking voters to vote wisely, say reports.

Across India, millions of youngsters are stepping out to vote, many of them for the first time. In their hands lies the future of India. I'm confident that they want NYAY for every Indian and will vote wisely.

A voter in Karnataka's Uttara Kannada constituency has recorded a video of him casting a vote on the EVM machine. In the video, it is clearly visible who the voter votes for. As the video went viral in the constituency, Karwar deputy commissioner K Harish Kumar said that a criminal case will be filed against the voter.

Congress and BJP workers clashed with each other near the Indira Nagar Gate of Chikkodi town. The clashes took place near the 16th and 17th booths in Indira Nagar. Chikkodi ASP Mithun spoke to workers of both the parties in the aftermath.

Scouts and guides deployed as volunteers did their best to ensure that voters of all ages make it to polling booths to exercise their franchise. Here, Class IX scouts are seen taking 85-year-old Kallappa Balappa Nerli to a pollng booth at Gudas village in Hukkeri taluk of Chikkodi constituency.

Inputs by S Shankar, 101Reporters

12:29 (IST)

Karnataka ​election voting latest updates

State sees 21.05% voter turnout at 12 pm

Karnataka recorded a voter turnout of 21.05 percent at noon. The constituency-wise breakdown of turnout is as follows:

Chikkodi 24.56%

Belgaum 19.99%

Bagalkot 21.71%

Bijapur 18.99%

Gulbarga 18.69%

Raichur 20.04%

Bidar 19.08%

Koppal 21.80%

Bellary 23.66%

Haveri 18.10%

Dharwad 21.48%

Uttara Kannada 22.33%

Davanagere 20.51%

Shimoga 24.78%

12:17 (IST)

Kerala ​election voting latest updates

State records 25.79% voter turnout at noon

Kerala recorded a voter turnout of 25.79 percent at noon. The constituency-wise breakdown of turnout is as follows:

South states Lok Sabha Election 2019 voting Updates: As of 6 pm, 69.21 percent polling has been reported in Kerala and 60.97 percent turnout was recorded in Karnataka.

Shashi Tharoor inspected polling booths in Kerala which reported EVM malfunctions. He tweeted about robust voting turnout in the state and applauded the citizens.

As of 4 pm, 55.55 percent polling has been reported in Kerala and 50.03 percent turnout was recorded in Karnataka.

As of 3 pm, 43.21 percent polling has been reported in Kerala and 38.19 percent turnout was recorded in Karnataka.

Two booths in Indira Nagar Gate of Chikkodi have been put under heavy police protection after BJP and Congress workers clashed over the issue of influencing voters's decision.

A case has been registered against a voter in Thiruvananthapuram constituency after his complaint that the vote he cast for his candidate was credited to another was found wrong.

Polling at one booth in Vadakara constituency has been extended up to 11 pm. The extra five hours has been given to voters of the Kollam Puliyancherry booth in the Quilandy segment as voting was held up there until 12.25 pm due to malfunctioning EVM machines. Voting was also delayed in several other booths in the constituency due to snags in EVMs.

Shashi Tharoor, who has been tweeting since he voted on Tuesday morning, wrote that he is "concerned to hear first-hand accounts of people missing from the voters list in Thiruvananthapuram despite having voted in previous elections."

The MP also tweeted out his information to those who had found themselves missing from the list, promising to take up their case with the Election Commission.

A snake was found at a polling booth at Kandakai in Kerala's Kannur constituency. Polling resumed after the snake was caught. The reptile likely found its way into the booth after heavy rains on Monday night. "This must be a first for Indian democracy?!" Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor tweeted.

Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Teekaram Meena has blamed heavy rain that lashed Kerala on Monday night for the malfunctioning of EVMs reported from a few places in the state. He claimed that the moisture had affected the machines. "There is no cause for anxiety as arrangements were made to solve the issues on the spot," he said, adding that the problem is not as widespread as reported by a section of the media.

Three peeople have collapsed and died while standing in queues for voting in Kerala. A 62-year-old woman identified as M Vijayi died at the Ramavilasam UP School booth at Chokli in Kannur constituency. She succumbed on the way to the hostpial. The other two have been identified as MP Chacko Mathai, who died at Vadasherikkara under Pathanamthitta constituency and Mani who died at Kilikalloor under Kollam constituency.

Veteran actors Mammootty and Mohanlal cast their votes in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram of Kerala respectively. Both attracted large crowds in the booths.

Congress leader Priyank Kharge and his wife Shruthi Kharge cast their votes at polling station number 26, in Gundagurti village, of Gulbarga Lok Sabha constituency. Priyank's father Mallikarjun Kharge has held the seat since 2009.

Thiruvananthapuram Congress candidate Shashi Tharoor said he was not worried about the charge that votes cast for him have been resulting in the BJP symbol of lotus lighting up in the Kovalam segment, as there was "mechanism to countercheck malpractices".

Rampant problems with voting machines now threaten to snowball into a full-blown crisis in Kerala as parties trade charges and counter-charges with more such EVM failure reports coming in from all over the state.

In Wayanad, the constituency that has shot to national fame due to the fact that Rahul Gandhi is running from there, EVM machines played truant in at least eight places. In Pathanamthitta, the scene of a high-octane fight, voting machines at a number of booths threw up problems, delaying voting.

Voting has been stopped at Chowara booth near Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram constituency, which is witnessing a fierce three-cornered contest featuring Congress's Shashi Tharoor, after voters complained that the lotus symbol of the BJP has lit up after they cast their vote for the Congress. The problem came to notice after 76 voters had already cast votes. Election Commission officials will replace the machine with a new one.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan came down heavily on the Election Commission for the widespread glitches in EVMs reported from the state. He said that the machine in his own booth in Kannur constituency had developed problems. He said that the Commission had not taken adequate steps to ensure that the machines worked properly.

EVM glitches are being reported from across Kerala. Polling has been delayed in 20 booths in Kasargod, three in Indukki and two each in Vatakara and Ernakulam constituencies. Glitches have also been reported from Kannur and Kollam constituencies as well. Technical glitches have halted voting at Kalmane village, which falls under the Shimoga constituency of Karnataka too.

In Kerala, party workers have been trying to bring maximum voters to the booths before noon in view of the IMD's prediction of heavy summer rains accompanied by lightning in several parts of the state in the afternoon. Polling percentage is expected to cross the 2014 turnout of 74.02 if weather does not play spoilsport. Kerala is one of the few states which has consistently recorded polling percentage above national average in all general elections.

Karnataka BJP chief and former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and his family performed special pujas at a temple at his home place Shikaripura in Shivamogga before casting votes. Raghavendra, the BJP candidate in the constituency, was present with hundreds of supporters. The family cast their votes at booth number 134 of the Taluk Office at Shikaripura.

Yeddyurappa, his son and incumbent MP BY Raghavendra visited the Sri Huchchuraya Swamy Temple and Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mandir at Shikaripura. This is a time honoured tradition before election day for the family.

The most prominent candidate in Kerala is Congress's de facto prime ministerial candidate Rahul Gandhi, who is contesting the election from Wayanad in north Kerala. Considered less developed than other counterparts in Kerala, Wayanad constituency is tribal dominated and rural with a large Muslim population. The dominance of minority voters became a point of heated discussion after Congress president Rahul Gandhi was named the candidate for Wayanad. Rahul's campaigns in the constituency, and that of his sister Priyanka's have trained the lens of national media to the area.

The third phase of Lok Sabha polls on Tuesday will be an attempt by the Congress to retain power in Karnataka and gain a bastion in Kerala. Fourteen seats in Karnataka and 20 seats in Kerala will go to polls between 7 am and 6 pm on 23 April. This is the biggest phase of the election, with 117 constituencies going to polls. Phase 3 will also effectively conclude voting in the southern states, with the exception of Tamil Nadu's Vellore seat.

In Kerala, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will face the LDF in Wayanad and sitting Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor will be competing with former governor Kummanam Rajasekharan. Union minister Alphons Kannamthanam is seeking to make his Lok Sabha debut from Ernakulam. The BJP has raised the Sabarimala issue during its campaigns in the hope to open their account in Kerala.

In Karnataka, the contest is between the JD(S)-Congress combine and the BJP. The BJP is expected to bank upon the ‘Modi wave’ and on the votes of the Lingayat community. Congress and JD(S) aim to leverage the anti-incumbency sentiment against sitting BJP MPs and the Modi government at the Centre.

The BJP is contesting in all the 14 seats in Karnataka and the Congress and JD(S) in 12 and two constituencies respectively. Over 2.4 crore eligible voters will choose between 237 candidates. Of the 237 candidates, only 10 are women. 5,674 polling booths have been designated ‘critical’.

In Kerala, the main rivals are the ruling CPM-led LDF, opposition Congress-led UDF and BJP-led NDA. In response to Gandhi’s candidature, the BJP launched a campaign with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and several union ministers addressing rallies in the state. Apart from the Sabarimala issue, the parties also talked about the Kerala floods and ensuing relief work in the state.

Your guide to the latest seat tally, live updates, analysis and list of winners for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on firstpost.com/elections. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates from all 542 constituencies on counting day of the general elections.